The UN80 Initiative is an ambitious reform effort that:

• aims to create a stronger, more effective UN that delivers for people at a time of rapidly increasing needs and tightly constrained resources;
• contributes to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing the Pact for the Future;
• aims to show the multilateral system's effectiveness, by improving and adapting with urgency.

The world is experiencing a convergence of crises: growing inequality, worsening climate impacts, geopolitical tensions, multiplying conflicts, rapid technological disruption, and a crisis of trust in multilateral institutions. Needs are rising across every region, while resources are under increasing strain. In this complex and urgent context, the UN80 Initiative is the United Nations’ proactive response.

Our mandates and budgets are not just numbers or balance sheets, they are a matter of life and death for millions around the world.

To create a UN that is:

• More efficient and cost-effective
• More responsive to crises and countries’ needs
• More effective in delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals
• More accountable to taxpayers and the people it serves
• More supportive of UN staff and their mission-critical work

The Initiative aims to use our finite resources as effectively as possible, and with fewer bureaucratic burdens.

• Identifying efficiencies and improvements in the way the UN works.
• Reviewing the implementation of mandates received from Member States.
• Examining possible structural changes and programme realignments in the UN system.

Work in all three areas is being pursued in parallel, not in sequence.

The initiative is coordinated by the UN80 Task Force, chaired by Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy.

To drive reforms system-wide, the Secretary-General established seven UN80 Clusters grouped by thematic focus and led at the Principals’ level:

• Peace and security – coordinated by DPPA, DPO, OCT, ODA
• Development (Secretariat) – coordinated by DESA, UNCTAD, ECA, UNEP
• Development (UN System) – coordinated by UNDP, UNOPS, UNICEF, DCO, UN WOMEN
• Humanitarian – coordinated by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA, WFP, UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM
• Human Rights – coordinated by OHCHR
• Training & research – coordinated by UNITAR, UNU
• Specialized agencies – coordinated by ITU, ILO

These clusters will report to the UN80 Task Force, presenting recommendations across the three workstreams.

UN80 is an opportunity for transformation.

The goal is to make the UN stronger, more coherent, and better able to deliver on its mandates. This is a strategic opportunity to align the Organization with today’s priorities and tomorrow’s challenges, reduce unnecessary complexity, and make sure our limited resources are used where they have the greatest impact.

While some roles and structures may evolve, the focus is on smarter, more effective delivery, and ensuring that programmatic impact is protected and strengthened.

No — UN80 is not designed to solve the UN’s financial challenges, which are multi-faceted, although its workstream related to efficiencies can help mitigate their impact.

It’s important to distinguish between different aspects of the UN’s financial challenges:

• The UN Secretariat is facing a severe liquidity crisis for its regular budget operations. This has been a recurring issue over the years (going back historically even to the 1950s) but has become increasingly more acute in recent years, including for peacekeeping operations over the last 3 years. It is caused by delays and shortfalls in the collection of “assessed contributions” from Member States. These mandatory dues finance the operations of the Secretariat. When they are not paid in full or on time, it directly affects the UN’s ability to function and to fully implement the budget approved by Member States. Several proposals to address this problem are under the active consideration of the General Assembly. Such proposals are distinct from the UN80 Initiative.
• Agencies, funds and programmes across the wider UN system are experiencing reductions in voluntary funding, which are essential for humanitarian, development, and other specialized work. This has led to shrinking budgets which may affect the essential services that we are delivering to the people that we serve.

While UN80 won’t resolve these challenges on its own, making the Organization more cost-effective and reducing rigidities will allow the Organization to be more agile in the face of these challenges.

But for the UN Secretariat (and other UN system organizations that rely on assessed contributions from Member States), the solution is clear: Member States must meet their financial obligations — in full and on time.

The UN recognizes that reform processes are challenging and will be navigating this with transparency and support to staff. Staff are a vital part of the UN80 process, and their voices matter.

This is a management-led effort but will be carried out with full transparency and in regular consultation with staff and their representatives. The Secretary-General and senior leadership are committed to managing this process with professionalism, openness, and respect. There have been ad hoc meetings with staff representatives, and formal consultations through the Staff Management Committee (SMC) will take place on matters affecting staff conditions of service.

Also, staff have been invited to contribute ideas and feedback through internal platforms, including the UN Intranet.

The UN80 Task Force will present its proposals to the Secretary-General, who has already pointed to the first areas where outcomes are expected. A working group on efficiencies in the UN Secretariat, led by Under-Secretary-General Catherine Pollard, is expected to deliver initial proposals for the consideration of the Secretary-General in the coming weeks, following which revised 2026 UN Programme Budget Estimates will be submitted to the General Assembly in the Fall of 2025.

A report on the mandate implementation review will be submitted at the end of July and will help inform broader thinking around structural changes and programme realignment across the UN system which could lead to proposals put forward to Member States in the coming months and into next year.

It will ultimately be up to member States to decide how to proceed.

In countries where the United Nations operates, whether through humanitarian, peacekeeping, development activities or otherwise, the UN80 Initiative strives for support that is more coordinated, more responsive, and more effective.

UN80 promotes a more integrated UN presence. It encourages agencies to align their efforts around shared priorities, reducing duplication and improving delivery. For people experiencing crisis, food insecurity, or the aftermath of conflict, this can mean faster aid, clearer responses, and more lasting impact.

Even for those who have never received direct UN support, the Organization plays a vital role in shaping the world around them. From public health and peacebuilding to human rights and sustainable development, the UN’s work contributes to global stability and progress. It remains a unique platform for international cooperation, rooted in the commitment to prevent conflict and uphold dignity.

Today, the UN assists more than 130 million displaced people, provides food to over 120 million, delivers vaccines to nearly half of the world’s children, and supports peacekeeping, elections, climate action, and human rights around the world.

At the same time, the world is becoming more complex. Crises are multiplying, geopolitical tensions are growing, and financial pressures are increasing. UN80 is the UN’s response to this evolving landscape. It is about improving how the Organization works, strengthening coordination, and ensuring it can keep delivering where it matters most.

This is not about doing less. It is about staying effective, trusted, and ready to meet both today’s challenges and those of the future.